History - 2000s - The Championships, Wimbledon 2017 - Official Site by IBM READ MORE 2000: Venus Williams v Lindsay Davenport A decade of Williams dominance began on 8 July 2000, when elder sister Venus defeated defending champion Lindsay Davenport 6-3, 7-6(3). The win came two days after 20-year-old Venus had defeated her then 18-year-old sister Serena in the semis, and 10 months after Serena had won the US Open. The Williamses thus became the first sisters in the Open era to win Grand Slam titles. Though many suspected that the American siblings would be a force to be reckoned with over the coming years, few could have predicted just how the first 10 years of the new millennium would belong to the Williamses, with SW19 proving to be a particularly happy hunting ground.

Venus’s win over Davenport, which came thanks to a combination of powerful services and groundstrokes, crisp volleys and tireless running, which made her opponent look decidedly flat-footed, was the first of five titles on Wimbledon’s lawns to go with the US Open titles which she won in 2000 and 2001. Only Maria Sharapova in 2004 and Amelie Mauresmo in 2006 managed to break the Williams hegemony during that magical decade. 2000: Pat Rafter v Andre Agassi Andre Agassi versus Pat Rafter was always a good one for the fans to watch. The American was one of the best returners in the game and wore out a path along the baseline, while the Aussie was an attacker who felt most at home at the net. In the space of 12 months they played three Grand Slam five-setters between June 2000 and June 2001, two of them at Wimbledon (where they had already met twice, Agassi winning in 1993 and 1999). All of them were classics, none more so than at The Championships 2000.

Rafter parlayed his serve-and-volley to a one-set lead, but Agassi found his range on his passing shots to level at one-all. Errors in the American’s game again handed Rafter the advantage but Agassi could never be counted out over the Grand Slam distance and duly fought back to take it to a fifth set. The match went down in the annals as a classic, primarily due to the number of rallies it contained. Though the Australian tried to keep the points short on his own service, he managed to disrupt Agassi with his returning game full of heavy slice from the baseline. The American cracked first, and Rafter found himself in his first Wimbledon final. 2000: Pete Sampras wins seventh title Wimbledon was where Pete Sampras felt most at home and none but the most foolish were prepared to write him off. Having battled tendonitis in his right knee on his way to the final, the American was left to face Australia’s Pat Rafter for his seventh Wimbledon title and his record-breaking 13th Grand Slam trophy. Sampras stumbled through the first set tiebreak, offering it up with a double fault but then sniffed the scent of blood as Rafter blew a 4-1 lead in the second.

At a set apiece, Sampras, at last, began to settle and as the night drew in, he closed out his emotional 6-7, 7-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory. He burst into tears and then ran for the back of the stands to find his parents, Sam and Georgia, who had flown in overnight to see their son make history. It was Sampras's last great moment at the All England Club. Two lean and title-free years later, he was rewriting the record books again, winning his 14th grand slam title at the US Open by beating Agassi. That, he thought, was enough and with nothing left to achieve and no prospect of bettering those last two grand slam triumphs, he called it a day. History could take care of itself from now on. 2001: Tim Henman v Goran Ivanisevic Friday 6 July Croat Goran Ivanisevic had started The Championships as a wild card, but the tennis he went on to produce defied his world ranking of No.125.

The day’s first semi-final was a marathon and when rain brought a halt to the Henman-Ivanisevic clash after just three sets at 6.18pm, it was the Briton who was in charge. Although Ivanisevic had clinched a tight opening set 7-5, Henman hit back to nick the second on a tie-break before racing through the third by ‘bageling’ Ivanisevic in just 15 minutes. With Henman up 2-1 in the fourth when play was abandoned for the day, the Oxfordshire star was within touching distance of a place in the final. Saturday 7 July A full night’s sleep had given Ivanisevic the chance to gather his thoughts and he quickly put the disastrous third set behind him. Ultimately, a fourth-set tiebreak was required and when Tiger Tim opened up a 3-1 lead, once more, things were looking good for the Henmaniacs. Croatia’s finest had other ideas however, and despite standing two points from defeat, Ivanisevic fought his way out of the breaker to force a deciding set.

The two men played another five games and with the wild card up 3-2 in the fifth rain brought another premature end to the day’s drama at 6.29 pm. The match would go into a third day. Sunday 8 July Both men knew it would be decided by one thing – guts – and so it proved. Henman had a brief window of opportunity when Ivanisevic trailed 0-30 on serve at 3-3, but the outsider blasted his way out of trouble, broke in the very next game and served out the match to complete a memorable 7-5, 6-7(6), 0-6, 7-6, 6-3 victory exactly 45 hours and nine minutes after it had begun on the Friday. 2001: Goran Ivanisevic v Pat Rafter In what was arguably the feel-good tennis final of all time, the charismatic Croat Goran Ivanisevic defeated the equally regarded Australian Pat Rafter in an epic five-set, three-hour-one-minute final, with Centre Court inhabited by an ecstatic corner of Bedlam.

The three-times beaten finalist had been given a wildcard as a gesture of goodwill for what he once did; he was 125 in the world and two months off his 30th birthday. A string of early exits and a lingering left shoulder problem provoked talk of imminent retirement and a career without a Grand Slam. The crowd, on People's Monday, cried, cheered, roared and chanted as Ivanisevic, like a gentle giant, stood with his arms aloft on top of a television commentary box to cast his shadow over his kingdom; acknowledging the ovation, capturing the moment with his mind's eye. Rafter, himself troubled by injury and losing a second successive final, was a gallant loser and recognised the Centre Court happening described by Ivanisevic as a time when "everybody was going nuts". The third seed said: "I don't think Wimbledon has seen anything like it and I don't know whether it will again." 2001: Pete Sampras v Roger Federer We did not realise it at the time, but this was a changing of the guard.

Pete Sampras – a seven-time champion unbeaten in 31 matches dating back to 1996 – was defeated by Roger Federer, who would go on to win six Wimbledon titles himself. Sampras had already walked on egg shells earlier in the tournament, taking five sets to overcome British wildcard Barry Cowan in the second round. Federer meanwhile was only 19 but already one for the future, having won the Hopman Cup (alongside Martina Hingis) and Milan already in 2001 and reached the quarter-finals of the French Open a few weeks prior to Wimbledon. Federer’s serving, movement and attacking mentality were Sampras-esque throughout a match which ebbed and flowed for five sets and in an ironic twist, it would be the only time the two greats faced each other on tour. He and Federer would meet again in SW19 however, when the latter sealed his 15th Grand Slam win on Centre Court in 2009, taking Sampras’ record in the process. 2002: Pete Sampras v George Bastl The graveyard of champions earned its sobriquet over the years, and never more so than in 2002.

Previous Wimbledon winners to have lost on Court No.2 included John McEnroe, Virginia Wade, Jimmy Connors, Pat Cash, Andre Agassi, Richard Krajicek and Lleyton Hewitt, and then in 2002 came the biggest of them all. Pete Sampras was feeling out of sorts, hounded by the press who wanted to be the first to hear about his impending (according to them at least) retirement. He took to the court to face George Bastl, a Swiss player for whom the word “journeyman” was invented. He was 145 in the world, only in the tournament as a lucky loser and had set up this second-round clash by defeating another lucky loser a few days earlier. Two months later, Pistol Pete would go on to capture his 14th and final Grand Slam title at the US Open but in between times, Bastl recorded the greatest win of his career, downing Sampras 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4 in what would be the American’s last ever match at Wimbledon.

The Swiss then lost 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 to David Nalbandian in the next round, and like Sampras, he never won another match in SW19. 2003: Lleyton Hewitt v Ivo Karlovic To crow, along the lines of “how the mighty are fallen”, would be terribly unfair. Lleyton Hewitt was a mere 22 years old and he found himself up against a 6’10” Croat who would go on to carve himself a niche as one of the hardest servers in the game. But when the title-holder crashed out in the opening round of the 2003 Championships to an unknown qualifier ranked 203 in the world, there was more than enough Schadenfreude to go round. Hewitt was unlucky enough to come up against a young Ivo Karlovic at a time when the grass was fast and aces rained down. He had, the previous year, been lucky enough to peak early in his career, during the "interregnum" between the Pete Sampras and the Roger Federer eras to secure his second Grand Slam title.

He made the most of the period of grace accorded to him by the waning of Sampras’s star prior to Federer’s ascension to greatness, winning the US Open in 2001 and the ATP end-of-season world tour finals in 2001 and 2002. Only once in the history of The Championships had the defending men’s champion had lost in the opening round. At least 1966 winner Manuel Santana (who lost to Charlie Pasarell in the first round the following year) had some company in the record books. 2003: Martina Navratilova wins again In 2003, 25 years after her first singles title (of nine), Martina Navratilova equalled the amazing Championships record of Billie Jean King with her 20th Wimbledon title, this one coming alongside Leander Paes in the mixed doubles. This historic moment came less than six months after she had achieved the "boxed set" of winning the singles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles at all four Grand Slams (something that eluded even Billie Jean), emulating Doris Hart and Margaret Court before her.

"All my titles here are special but the last one was eight years ago and I never thought I'd play again after that," said Navratilova after she and Paes defeated Andy Ram and Anastasia Rodionova 6-3, 6-3 in the final. The Czech-born American toyed with retirement but accepted a wildcard into the singles draw at The Championships the following year – a decision which attracted criticism both of Navratilova and the AELTC, which she summarily silenced with a 6-0, 6-1 win in the first round over Catalina Castano and by taking Gisela Dulko to three sets in the second round. The win with Paes also took her overall Slam record to 58 wins, second only to Margaret Court’s 62, and she would go on to add another in 2006, when she partnered Bob Bryan to the US Open title a month before her 50th birthday.

2004: Maria Sharapova If we take out Lottie Dodd, who was still 15 when she won at the tail-end of the 19th century, then only Martina Hingis, who was 16 years and nine months when she won in 1997, was younger than the six-foot Siberian champion. Sharapova was a tender 17 years and 2 months when she arrived in SW19 in 2004, but she opened a few eyes when she won at the Priory Club in Edgbaston earlier in the month and was seeded No.13 for The Championships. Not that she was expected to win even after she defeated Lindsay Davenport in the semis – a certain Miss S.J. Williams was lying in wait in the final. Serena had won The Championships in 2002 and 2003 and had taken over from her sister Venus, who took the Wimbledon title in 2000 and 2001. Only 30 minutes into the match however and the sibling domination was all but over. Sharapova took the opening set in half an hour.

Serena managed an early break in the second set but the tide was not for turning. Sharapova won 6-1, 6-4, and with her triumph book-ended by Anastasia Myskina’s surprise win at the French and Svetlana Kuznetsova’s success at the US Open, it seemed as if a new Russian era of tennis was being ushered in. Instead it served to spur on the rivalries between the Williams sisters, Justine Henin, Amelie Mauresmo, Kim Clijsters and Sharapova herself in a brief golden age in the women’s game. 2004: Wimbledon the movie There have been plenty of films about Wimbledon, but in 2004 there was one which is now filed not under sports documentaries but romantic comedies. “Wimbledon” is the story of a player ranked just outside the top 100 who gets a wildcard to The Championships and ends up winning the whole shebang (much a la Goran Ivanisevic in 2001).

The film features John McEnroe, Chris Evert, Mary Carillo and John Barrett in the commentary box, and while Kirsten Dunst cuts an unlikely figure on the baseline, Paul Bettany who plays the lead most certainly benefitted from the coaching of 1987 Wimbledon winner Pat Cash, who trained the actors in the art of swinging the catgut. Plenty of local landmarks are featured including Heathrow airport, the Dorchester Hotel and the London Eye, but the most unmistakable images came from the All England Club, predominantly on the old and sadly now departed No.3 court where the fans were so close to the action. 2004: Todd Woodbridge After six titles with the other “Woodie”, Todd Woodbridge bagged another hat-trick – this time alongside Jonas Bjorkman – and broke the Wimbledon record for men’s doubles titles. His ninth success, achieved in 2004, outshone the previous best of eight, which dated back a century, when "Big Do and Little Do" – brothers Reggie and Laurie Doherty – were at their peak. SW19 was certainly a happy hunting ground for Woodbridge during his playing days.

As a singles player, he defeated Sampras on the hallowed lawns in 1989 and even made the semis in 1997. Doubles was definitely his speciality however, and he secured every big trophy there was to win – all four Slams for a total of 16 Majors, the ATP World Tour Finals on two occasions and Olympic Gold in 1996. Most of his success came as one half of the Woodies, but when Mark Woodforde retired in 2000, Woodbridge went on to secure four more Slams alongside Bjorkman, the last one coming at Wimbledon in 2004. The following year, with a record 83 ATP doubles titles to his name, Woodbridge announced his retirement – at Wimbledon, of course. 2005: Venus Williams and Lindsay Davenport The longest women’s singles final in Wimbledon history saw Venus Williams win her third title, seeing off No.1 seed and 1999 champion Lindsay Davenport in two hours 45 minutes.

Davenport had defeated Dinara Safina, Kim Clijsters, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Amelie Mauresmo en route to the final, while No.14 seed Venus had had to overcome Mary Pierce in the quarters and defending champion Maria Sharapova in the semis. Having taken such prominent scalps along the way, it was only fitting that the final was such a classic. Davenport edged the opener then broke Venus in the 11th game of the second set, giving the taller of the two lofty Americans the opportunity to serve for the title. Venus amazingly broke back to love to stay alive before dominating the tie-break to level the tie. Davenport broke to lead 4-2 in the decider and stood at 40-15 on her own service. Undaunted, Venus broke back then levelled. Davenport went for treatment on her back before returning to carve out a match point on her opponent’s serve. Venus saved it and the match went into overtime.

At 7-7 the elder of the two tennis-playing Williams sisters broke, and despite double-faulting on her first match point she took the second to emerge victorious 4-6, 7-6(4), 9-7 after a tie which, for once, actually deserved to be called an "epic". 2005: Stephen Huss and Wesley Moodie Having played the grand total of one Challenger event together prior to the tournament, South African Wes Moodie and Australian Stephen Huss swept all before them at The Championships in 2005 and became the first ever qualifiers to win the men’s doubles. The pairing formed just weeks before The Championships, but claimed plenty of notable scalps throughout the tournament. Todd Woodbridge, who had won his ninth Wimbledon men’s doubles title just 12 months earlier, was sent packing into retirement after he and Mahesh Bhupathi fell to the newcomers in the second round, then in the semis they defeated Jonas Bjorkman (who had partnered Woodbridge to victory in 2002, 2003 and 2004) and Max Mirnyi.

To cap things off in the final, they defeated the legendary Bryan brothers, perhaps the best doubles pairing of the decade, in four sets. For the two victors, this would prove to be the pinnacle of their careers. Huss did win in Beijing in 2008 alongside Ross Hutchins, while Moodie won at Queen’s in 2009 with Mikhail Youzhny. Grand Slam success however came along just this once. 2006: Agassi’s last match Was it a changing of the guard? Not quite, but it was certainly symbolic. A balding, 36-year-old American was dispatched in straight sets by a Spaniard 16 years his junior, complete with flowing locks and a pirate’s bandana. It was probably more ironic than symbolic. Back in the day, it was Andre Agassi who created a stir around his hair, his accessories and his return of service. And after 134 minutes of play followed by a far-from-traditional on-court interview, Agassi’s Wimbledon career was over, beaten by a young Rafael Nadal.

As a 17-year-old prodigy from the Nick Bollettieri academy, he won a mere five games against Henri Leconte in his debut and vowed never to return. He finally came back in 1991 and the following year, despite a few warnings from umpires for some very un-Wimbledonesque language, he defeated Goran Ivanisevic in a five-set epic. His only disappointment that year was not being able to dance with ladies’ singles winner Steffi Graf at the Champions’ Ball, but that pleasure would come later. Indeed, he would return alongside Stefanie Graf-Agassi in 2009 for the Centre Court celebration. In the intervening years he had won the US, Australian and French Opens to become the first man to win all four Grand Slams on three different surfaces. He had earned that on-court interview in 2006, and the showman and contrarian in him revelled in the fact that he had engineered a break with tradition “in the place that first taught me to respect the sport”, as he himself put it as he bowed out.

2007: Roger Federer v Rafael Nadal It was not surprising that ‘The Ice Man’, Bjorn Borg, betrayed no emotion as he watched Roger Federer’s bid to equal his record of five successive Wimbledon titles. The world No.1 was undefeated in 33 matches at the All England Club going into the final, but standing in his path was Rafael Nadal, who had beaten the Swiss in the French Open final just weeks before. Having won the third set in a tie-breaker, the usually unflappable Federer became frustrated by his relentless opponent and a succession of Hawk-Eye’s calls that went against him. Nadal stormed into a 5-1 lead in the fourth but was then forced to call for the trainer to have his right knee taped. Inclement weather meant that the Majorcan had not had a day's rest since the start of the second week. Though Nadal won the fourth set 6-2, Federer could smell blood in the water.

His mind was in total lock-down, focused on winning and winning alone, and he raced away to claim his fifth Wimbledon trophy 7-6(7), 4-6, 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-2 in 225 minutes. 2007: Equal prize money After at least a year’s brouhaha during which Venus Williams, Billie Jean King and even then British Prime Minister Tony Blair added their two pennies’ worth on the subject, the All England Club decided in 2007 to award equal prize money to both men and women across the board, from the champions down to the first-round losers in all events. The princely sum of £11,282,710 was split evenly, with winners Roger Federer and Venus Williams pocketing £700,000 each for their fortnight’s work. "Tennis is one of the few sports in which women and men compete in the same event at the same time," said Tim Phillips, Chairman of the All England Club.

"We believe our decision to offer equal prize money provides a boost for the game as a whole and recognises the enormous contribution that women players make to the game and to Wimbledon. We hope it will also encourage girls who want a career in sport to choose tennis as their best option. In short, good for tennis, good for women players and good for Wimbledon." 2007: Hawk-Eye The 2007 Wimbledon Championships saw the All England Club deploy Hawk-Eye for the first time as electronic line-calling technology on Centre and No.1 courts. The move followed successful testing to verify the accuracy of the system on grass as well as agreement of the protocol to be adopted when using the system – namely that Wimbledon would allow for three incorrect challenges in a set, an increase from the previous figure of two used at the US and Australian Opens. Whilst the name "Hawk-Eye" has obvious connotations of pin-point vision, it actually comes from the system’s inventor, Dr Paul Hawkins, whose innovation was first used in the 2001 Ashes cricket series. It was used as part of television coverage for the Davis Cup in 2002, and debuted at a Grand Slam in Australia in 2003.

Hawk-Eye replaced the previous "Cyclops" system, which involved infra-red beams used to determine whether services were in or out. 2007: Jamie Murray "Murray wins Wimbledon" is a headline British journalists have been dying to write for years now, but they already had such an opportunity in 2007. This was the year that Jamie Murray, elder brother of Andy, partnered soon-to-be singles world No.1 Jelena Jankovic to victory in the mixed doubles. The success had the two vital ingredients for the UK tabloid press: a home-grown hero and a "leggy" (their words) partner who was happy to fuel the speculation that this was no mere on-court marriage of convenience – this was indeed a "love match". "When it was a breakpoint I was telling him if he got a good return he would get many kisses, but he kept putting it out," sighed Jelena in many a post-match press conference. When the pairing overcame Jonas Bjorkman and Alicia Molik in a three-set final, the fairytale was complete.

They danced at the Champions’ Ball and there was even talk of Jelena being invited to spend Christmas up in Scotland with the Murrays. Since then, things have cooled. Jelena is concentrating on her singles career, Jamie has married a waitress from Dunblane and the journos are still waiting to dust off their "Murray wins Wimbledon" headlines. 2008: Serena Williams v Venus Williams From 2000-2010, the Williams sisters made SW19 their own back yard. Venus won five singles titles, Serena four. Four times they faced each other in the final, and on three of those occasions they then returned to Centre Court to contest – and win – the women’s doubles. Beaten semi-finalist Elena Dementieva had fanned the flames of criticism over their seemingly dull previous finals, saying of the final: "For sure it's going to be a family decision." If it was, then they certainly did an admirable cover-up job. Serena started the quicker and was a hair’s breadth away from a 4-1 lead when a net cord intervened.

Venus powered back to take the first set with a run of five games out of six then breaking her own Wimbledon service record in the second set with a 129mph offering en route to a 7-5, 6-4 win. Three hours later they were back on Centre Court, and this time neither sister would have to leave disappointed or metaphorically empty-handed. A 6-2, 6-2 win over Sam Stosur and Lisa Raymond gave the Williamses their third Wimbledon doubles title. 2008: Rafael Nadal v Roger Federer It has been hailed as the greatest tennis match ever played, watched, or attended. At 9.15pm, in the gloaming of Centre Court, Rafael Nadal proverbially snatched the glinting gold Wimbledon trophy from under Roger Federer's nose for his first Wimbledon victory. Flashbulbs exploded and reverberated around the court, Federer rooted to his chair in disbelief, Nadal, the happiest man on earth. He had conquered Wimbledon's grass, and one of its greatest champions.

Spain's world No.2 won 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 9-7, to become the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1980 to do the French Open and Wimbledon double in the same summer. He was also the first Spaniard to win Wimbledon since Manuel Santana in 1966. "It's impossible to explain what I felt in that moment but I'm very, very happy. It is a dream to play on this court, my favourite tournament, but to win I never imagined," Nadal said. "I tried everything, got a little late, but look, Rafa is a deserving champion, he just played fantastic. The rain didn't make it easier but you have to expect the worst and he's the worst opponent on the best court," Federer said. 2008: Andy Murray v Richard Gasquet Was this the moment when the British crowd finally decided that Andy Murray was "one of us"? The SW19 like nothing more than an epic fight-back from a local hero, and the Scotsman served one up at the end of "Manic Monday" – the mid-point of every Championships.

In 2008, it was former French prodigy Richard Gasquet, the No.8 seed, looking as if he would at last live up to the hype, taking the opening two sets 7-5, 6-3 against a man who had lost both of their previous encounters. These were the days when Murray, No.12 seed that year, lived and died by the drop-shot, and some of them were plain suicidal. He hung tough to take the third set to a tie-break and the tide had turned as just over half an hour later it was two sets all. The 22-year-old Gasquet seemed vanquished, but could Murray beat the clock? The canny Frenchman took a comfort break to eat up an extra few minutes, but at 9.29pm in the SW19 twilight, Murray emerged victorious, 5-7, 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-2, 6-4. Alas, Rafael Nadal was lying in wait just over 36 hours later.

2008: Laura Robson At the tender age of 14, Laura Robson became the first British player since Annabel Croft in 1985 to win the Wimbledon girls’ singles title, defeating Noppawan Lertcheewakarn 6-3, 3-6, 6-1. No.1 Court was packed to the rafters with fans looking to watch someone other than the Williams sisters (busy contesting the women’s singles and winning the women’s doubles on Centre Court that day) and desperate for some home-grown success. Robson’s win over the no.3 seed (who would go on to capture the crown 12 months later) capped an amazing run. She defeated soon-to-be big names Melanie Oudin and Bojana Jovanovski in straight sets and then held her nerve despite the pressure of the expectant crowd to take glory in the final. Her win earned her a wildcard for the main draw the following year, which she made the most of, pushing one-time world No.5 Daniela Hantuchova before falling in three sets.

2009: Serena Williams v Elena Dementieva After 10 days of watching Serena Williams sail majestically through the draw, her semi-final against Elena Dementieva was determined to throw a spanner in the works. Williams was forced to chase, scrap and battle for every point of her 6-7, 7-5, 8-6 win. It was the longest women’s semi-final in the Open era at Wimbledon. Williams is used to this winning Grand Slam titles business – she had 10 of them already at the time and was about to go on and win her 11th. The quality of the ball striking throughout the match was at times breath-taking from both women. Few can live with Williams from the baseline but Dementieva was giving as good as she got and moving her rival from corner to corner and then out into farthest reaches of Centre Court. The decider alone lasted more than an hour as first Dementieva held a match point and then, 23 minutes later, Williams got her racket on a match-winning opportunity. When Dementieva’s final backhand sailed wide of the line, the crowd rose as one to applaud.

They had not expected a spectacle like this. 2009: The 16-14 five-set final Roger Federer became tennis's greatest men's champion, watched by a legion of champions, as he beat Andy Roddick 5-7 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 16-14 in 4hrs 16mins to claim his sixth Wimbledon crown. It was also a record 15th Grand Slam title for the Swiss master, overhauling the total of Pete Sampras who was in the Royal Box along with fellow legends Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver. It was a truly momentous climax to the 2009 Championships as the 27-year-old Swiss became the most successful man in the sport. Sampras, previous holder of that title, had been an unannounced surprise visitor to Wimbledon – where he has not been seen since 2002. The American arrived three games into the contest, but then sat as enraptured as the rest of the crowd as the two gladiators battled through 77 games, the most seen at any Wimbledon final.

Federer's ace count passed the 50 mark and then, finally, it was Roddick who cracked in the 30th game of the set. Three mishits off the frame indicated he was fatigued and when Federer was offered the first Championship point he grabbed it eagerly, leaping into the air with joy as another Roddick mishit sailed long. 2009: The unveiling of the Centre Court roof Over recent years, whenever play at The Championships was affected or even washed out entirely by rain it produced an inevitable outpouring of frustration. So when, on the afternoon of 17 May 2009, Wimbledon finally unveiled its long-awaited Centre Court roof – three years in the assembly and nine long years in the planning - the timing proved to be perfect. As the 3,000-ton construction began its eight-minute closing procedure, the weather lent a helping hand by sprinkling on the proceedings. A set of mixed doubles was played out between the husband and wife team of Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf took on Tim Henman and Kim Clijsters.

Despite only having one Slam between them at the time compared with the 30 that their opponents could muster, Henman and Clijsters won 7-6. Agassi then edged Henman 6-4 before Clijsters defeated Graf by the same score. So impressive was the Belgian, who had retired from tennis in favour of marriage and motherhood, that then-chairman of Wimbledon, Tim Phillips, promptly offered her a wild card for the upcoming Championships. This was politely declined – "hopefully, next year", she said – but this glittering day proved to be a defining moment for Clijsters, who resumed her career brilliantly and won the US Open a mere four months later. 2009: Dinara Safina v Amelie Mauresmo History was finally made at 5.19pm on Monday 29 June 2009, when Amelie Mauresmo struck the first service under the cover of "5,200 square metres of a very strong, flexible, translucent waterproof material". As the Centre Court crowd sat and stared at the skies on Monday, suddenly the roof started to move.

At 4.39pm, the two halves of the structure started to roll towards the middle of the court to gasps and cheers from below. And then it stopped. "I hope someone’s kept the receipt," said one wag in the stands. Surely it cannot be broken? No, actually, the roof closes in the three stages with a slight pause between each phase. By 4.46pm the roof was finally shut and there was a huge round of applause. Outside, the drizzle had stopped. At 5.11pm, the players returned to thunderous applause. Mauresmo, the first on court, could not take her eyes off the roof above her – and the floodlights that had now warmed up and were shining brightly – as she began her warm-up routine. Her opponent Dinara Safina meanwhile kept her eyes firmly fixed on the grass beneath her feet and tried not to let the moment of history distract her, on her way to victory and a place in the quarter-finals.

2009: Andy Murray v Stan Wawrinka On 29 June 2009, the last match scheduled for the day on Centre Court was a fourth-round men’s singles tie featuring Andy Murray and Stanislas Wawrinka. The pair would have the honour of contesting the first competitive match to be played in its entirety under the Centre Court roof. Some 50 feet below 3,000 tons of structural steel and Tenara architectural fibre, the lights illuminated the famous turf on an overcast evening and 15,000 spectators witnessed Dunblane-born Murray battle with high-calibre Swiss opponent Wawrinka. Just as it looked as if this unique evening’s entertainment was coming to an end Wawrinka pounced at 5-5 in the fourth set to break and then serve out the set 7-5 to force a decider, breaking another record at The Championships with the contest destined to go on later than any other Wimbledon match.

Breaks were exchanged to open the fifth set but in the end it was Murray who emerged victorious, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 ending it all on service at precisely 10.39 pm securing his place both in the quarter-finals and in a new chapter in Wimbledon Centre Court’s unrivalled history. Virginia Wade (Tennis Player) - Pics, Videos, Dating, & News Virginia Wade Female Born Jul 10, 1945 Sarah Virginia Wade, OBE is an English former tennis player. She won three Grand Slam singles championships and four Grand Slam doubles championships, and is the only British woman in history to have won titles at all four Grand Slam tournaments. She was ranked as high as No. 2 in the world in singles, and No.

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Donât Dismiss The Efforts Of Students Taking Exams In 2013 Burnley Express - Aug 20, 2013 ' It is that time of year that just about everyone in local newspapers really hates. Yes, our Thursday mornings are even more manic than usual and the following day you are able to read all the local GCSE and A Level results. We only hate them for purely logistical reasons. But other people hate them because they believe the exams are just too easy and the resulting certificates donât count for anything. That is not a theory I can ever agree with. The first reason I canât go along with th... Learn about the memorable moments in the evolution of Virginia Wade. CHILDHOOD 1945 Birth Born on July 10, 1945. TEENAGE 1961 15 Years Old In 1961 Wade was in the tennis team of Wimbledon County Girls' Grammar School. TWENTIES 1966 20 Years Old She went on to study mathematics and physics at the University of Sussex, graduating in 1966.

1968 22 Years Old Wade's tennis career spanned the end of the amateur era and the start of the open era. In 1968, she scored two notable firsts. … Read More As an amateur, she won the inaugural open tennis competition â the British Hard Court Open at Bournemouth. She turned down the US$720 first prize. Read Less 1972 26 Years Old Wade's second Grand Slam singles championship came in 1972 at the Australian Open. … Read More There, she defeated the Australian Evonne Goolagong in the final 6â4, 6â4. Read Less THIRTIES Show Less … Sarah Virginia Wade, OBE (born 10 July 1945) is a former professional tennis player from Great Britain. She won three Grand Slam singles championships and four Grand Slam doubles championships, and is the only British woman in history to have won titles at all four Grand Slam tournaments. She was ranked as high as No. 2 in the world in singles, and No. 1 in the world in doubles.

Read Less She won the women's singles championship at Wimbledon on 1 July 1977, in that tournament's centenary year, and was the last British tennis player to have won a Grand Slam singles tournament until Andy Murray won the US Open in 2012. … Read More She remains the last British female to have won a Grand Slam singles title. After retiring from competitive tennis, she coached for four years and has also worked as a tennis commentator and game analyst for the BBC and Eurosport.<br /><br /> Born in Bournemouth in England, Virginia Wade learned to play tennis in South Africa, where her parents moved when she was one year old. Her father was the Archdeacon of Durban. When Wade was 15, the family moved back to England and she went to Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School and Talbot Heath School, Bournemouth. Read Less Wade won at Wimbledon, in 1977. … Read More It was the 16th year in which Wade had played at Wimbledon, and she made her first appearance in the final by beating the defending champion Chris Evert in a semifinal 6â2, 4â6, 6â1.

In the final, she faced Betty StÃ¶ve. Read Less Not only was 1977 the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Wimbledon Championships, but it was also the 25th year of the reign (the Silver Jubilee) of Queen Elizabeth II. … Read More The queen attended the Wimbledon championships for the first time in 25 years to watch the final. Wade beat StÃ¶ve in three sets to claim the championship, nine days before her 32nd birthday. Read Less She was the subject of This Is Your Life in December 1977 when she was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at the National Sports Stadium at London's Crystal Palace. … Read More Wade also won four Grand Slam women's doubles championships with Margaret Smith Court â two of them at the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament, one at the Australian Open, and one at the French Open.<br /><br /> Over her career, Wade won 55 professional singles championships and amassed $1,542,278 dollars in career prize money. She was ranked in the world's top 10 continuously from 1967 to 1979.

Her career spanned a total of 26 years. She retired from singles competition at the end of the 1985 tennis season, and then from doubles at the end of 1986. Read Less 1982 37 Years Old … The 26 times that Wade played at Wimbledon is an all-time record, 24 of those times being in the women's singles. <br /><br />Since 1981, while she was still playing, Wade has been a reporter on tennis events for the BBC. Read Less In 1982, Wade became the first woman to be elected to the Wimbledon Committee. 1983 38 Years Old In 1983, at the age of 37, she won the Italian Open women's doubles championship, along with her teammate Virginia Ruzici of Romania. FORTIES 1986 41 Years Old In 1986, Wade was honoured with the distinction of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). 1989 44 Years Old In 1989, Wade was also inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island.

… Read More Source:) <br /><br /> SR = the ratio of the number of singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.<br /><br /> Note: The Australian Open was held twice in 1977, in January and December. Read Less Original Authors of this text are noted on . Players | WTA Tennis English No videos found 0 Inducted into International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1989...Voted WTA Tour Player of the Year for 1977 after fulfilling lifetime goal by winning Wimbledon...Won 1977 Wimbledon on 17th try under the most dramatic of circumstances for a Briton, as she played before Queen Elizabeth II on the occasion of the QueenÆs Silver Jubilee marking 25 years of reign, and it was also the Wimbledon Centenary; defeated defending champion Chris Evert in semifinals and Betty Stove in finalàNo.

4 on Open Era match wins list with 839àRanked in Top 10 continuously from 1967-1979...In 1982, became first woman ever elected to Wimbledon Committee; remains very active...Won US Open in first year of Open Tennis in 1968; defeated Billie Jean King 64 64...As an amateur, won first Open Era tournament, held in Bournmouth, England, in 1968...Played Fed Cup 18 years for Great Britain and Wightman Cup 21 years...Recipient of 2002 Fed Cup Award of Excellence.

SINGLES Winner (55): 1968 - US Open, Bloemfontein-RSA, Bournemouth, East London-RSA, Dewar Cup-Crystal Palace; 1969 - Cape Town-RSA, Hoylake, Dewar-Perth, Dewar-Stalybridge, Dewar-Aberavon, Dewar-Crystal Palace, East London-RSA; 1970 - German Indoors, West Berlin Open, Irish Open, Stalybridge, Aberavon; 1971 - (9) Cape Town, Catania Open, Rome, Newport-Wales, Cincinatti, Dewar-Billingham, Dewar-Aberavon, Dewar Cup Final-London, Clean Air Classic-NY; 1972 - Australian Open, VS Indoors-Mass., Merion, Buenos Aires; 1973 - Dallas, Bournemouth, Dewar-Aberavon, Dewar-Edinburgh, Dewar-Billingham, Dewar Cup Final-Albert Hall; 1974 - VS Chicago, Bournemouth, VS Phoenix, Dewar-Edinburgh, Dewar Cup-London; 1975 - VS

 Dallas, VS Philadelphia, Paris Indoors , Eastbourne, Dewar Cup, Stockholm; 1976 - US Indoors, Dewar Cup; 1977 - Wimbledon, World Invitational Hilton Head, Tokyo Sillook; 1978 - Mahwah, Tokyo Sillook, Florida Open.

ADDITIONAL WIMBLEDON WIMBLEDON The Championships, Wimbledon, commonly referred to as simply "Wimbledon", is the oldest and arguably most prestigious event in the sport of tennis . Held every June or July (starts 6 weeks before the first Monday in August), the tournament is the third Grand Slam event played each year, preceded by the Australian Open and the French Open, and followed by the U.S. Open. The tournament (which is the only one of the Grand Slam events played on grass) lasts for two weeks, subject to extensions for rain. Separate tournaments are simultaneously held for Gentlemen's Singles, Ladies' Singles, Gentlemen's Doubles, Ladies' Doubles and Mixed Doubles. Youth tournaments ï¿½ Boys' Singles, Girls' Singles, Boys' Doubles and Girls' Doubles ï¿½ are also held. Additionally, special invitational tournaments are held: the 35 and over Gentlemen's Doubles, 45 and over Gentlemen's Doubles, 35 and over Ladies' Doubles and wheelchair doubles.

Wimbledon Championships close of play 2004 History The Championships were first played under the control of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in 1877 at a ground near Worple Road, Wimbledon; the only event held was Gentlemen's Singles. In 1884, the All England Club added Ladies' Singles and Gentlemen's Doubles. Ladies' Doubles and Mixed Doubles were added in 1913. The Championships moved to their present location, at a ground near Church Road, in 1922. As with the other three Grand Slam events, Wimbledon was contested by top-ranked amateur players until the advent of the open era in tennis in 1968. Britons are very proud of the tournament but it is a source of national anguish and humour ï¿½ no British man has won the singles event at Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936, and no British woman since Virginia Wade in 1977. Events There are five main events held at Wimbledon: Gentlemen's Singles, Ladies' Singles, Gentlemen's Doubles, Ladies' Doubles, and Mixed Doubles.

In addition, four events are held for juniors: Boys' Singles, Girls' Singles, Boys' Doubles, and Girls' Doubles. (The Mixed Doubles event is not held at the junior level.) Finally, four invitational events are held: the 35 and over Gentlemen's Invitation Doubles, the 45 and over Gentlemen's Invitation Doubles, the 35 and over Ladies' Invitation Doubles, and the Wheelchair Gentlemen's Invitation Doubles. Matches in the Gentlemen's Singles and Gentlemen's Doubles competitions are best-of-five sets; matches in all other events are best-of-three sets. Most events are single-elimination tournaments; in other words, a player who loses a single match is immediately eliminated from the tournament. However, the 35 and over Gentlemen's Invitation Doubles and the 35 and over Ladies' Invitation Doubles are both round-robin tournaments. Each year, the tournament begins six weeks before the first Monday in August. It is held two weeks after the Queen's Club Championships, which is considered the major warm-up for Wimbledon for male players.

Another important warm-up tournament for the men is the Gerry Weber Open, which is held in Halle, Germany at about the same time as the Queen's Club Championships. Wimbledon usually lasts for two weeks; the main events span both weeks, but the junior and invitational events are for the most part held during the second week. Traditionally, there is no play on the "Middle Sunday," which is considered a rest day. However, rain has forced play on the Middle Sunday thrice in Championships history: in 1991, 1997, and 2004. On each of these occasions, Wimbledon has staged a "People's Sunday", with unreserved seating and readily available, inexpensive tickets. Players and seeding A total of 128 players feature in each singles event, 64 pairs in each single-sex doubles event, and 48 pairs in Mixed Doubles. Players and doubles pairs are admitted to the main events on the basis of their international rankings. The Committee of Management and the Referee evaluate all applications for entry, and determine which players may be admitted to the tournament directly. The committee may admit a player without a high enough ranking as a wild card.

Usually, wild cards are players who have performed well during previous tournaments, or would stimulate public interest in Wimbledon by participating. The only wild card to win the Gentlemen's Singles Championship was Goran Ivanisevic (2001); no wild card has ever won the Ladies' Singles Title. Players and pairs who neither have high enough rankings nor receive wild cards may participate in a qualifying tournament held one week before Wimbledon at the Bank of England Sports Ground in Roehampton. The singles qualifying competitions are three-round events; the same-sex doubles competitions last for only one round. There is no qualifying tournament for Mixed Doubles. No qualifier has won either the Gentlemen's Singles or the Ladies' Singles tournaments; in 1977, John McEnroe went farther than any other qualifier in history by reaching the semifinals. Players are admitted to the junior tournaments upon the recommendations of their national tennis associations, and, in the case of the singles events, on the basis of a qualifying competition. The Committee of Management determines which players may enter the four invitational events. The Committee seeds the top players and pairs (thirty-two players in each main singles events, and sixteen pairs in each main doubles event) on the basis of their rankings.

The defending champion is normally, but not always, seeded first. A majority of the entrants are unseeded. Only two unseeded players have ever won the Gentlemen's Singles Championship: Boris Becker in 1985 and Goran Ivanisevic in 2001. No unseeded player has captured the Ladies' Singles title; the lowest seeded female champion was Venus Williams, who won in 2005 as the fourteenth seed. Unseeded pairs have won the doubles titles on numerous occasions; the 2005 Gentlemen's Doubles champions were not only unseeded, but also (for the first time ever) qualifiers. Grounds The nineteen courts used for Wimbledon are all composed purely of rye grass. The speed and the low bounce of grass courts favours serve and volley players. Serve and volleyers such as Rod Laver, John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg, and Pete Sampras have all won the Championships. However, baseliners such as Bjï¿½rn Borg have also performed very well, as have all-court players like Roger Federer.

Among women, the serve and volley strategy is less common; one of the few female serve and volleyers, Martina Navrï¿½tilovï¿½, won Wimbledon on a record nine occasions. The main show courts, Centre Court and No. 1 Court, are used only for two weeks a year, during the Championships. The remaining seventeen courts, however, are regularly used for other events hosted by the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam event played on grass courts. At one time, all of the other Grand Slam events were played on grass. The French Open abandoned grass for its current red clay in 1928, while the U.S. and Australian Opens stayed with grass decades longer. The U.S. Open abandoned grass for a synthetic clay surface in 1975, and changed again to a hard surface with its 1978 move to its current venue. The Australian Open abandoned grass for a different type of hard surface in 1988. The main court, Centre Court, was opened in 1922 when the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club moved from Worple Road to Church Road.

Due to possibility of rain during Wimbledon, a retractable roof is planned for the court; it is expected to be completed in 2009. The court has a capacity of almost 14,000; at its south end is the Royal Box, from which members of the Royal Family and other dignitaries watch matches. Centre Court usually hosts the finals and semifinals of the main events, as well as many matches in the earlier rounds involving top-seeded players. The second most important court is No. 1 Court. The court was constructed in 1997 to replace the old No. 1 Court, which was adjacent to Centre Court, but was demolished because its capacity for spectators was too low. The original No. 1 Court was said to have a unique, more intimate atmosphere, and was a favourite of many players. The new No. 1 Court has a capacity of approximately 11,000. The third-largest court, No. 2 Court, has been dubbed the "Graveyard of Champions" due to its reputation as the court on which many seeded players have been eliminated during the early rounds.

Famous players who have lost on the Graveyard during early round play include John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, and Serena Williams. The court has a capacity of about 3,000. At the northern end of the grounds is a giant television screen on which important matches are broadcast. Fans watch from an area of grass officially known as Aorangi Park, but more commonly called Henman Hill. The "hill" takes its name from local favourite Tim Henman, whom many fans hope will become the first British man to win the tournament since Fred Perry did so in 1936. Due to Tim Henman's early exit and British newcomer Andy Murray's relative success in the 2005 Championship, the hill may be renamed as Murray Mound, Mount Murray, or Murray Field (after the Scottish rugby stadium). The order of play for all courts is displayed on boards around the grounds Dark green and purple (sometimes also referred as mauve) are the traditional Wimbledon colours. Green apparel is worn by the chair umpire, linesmen, ball boys, and ball girls. The All England Club requires players to wear "predominantly white" clothing during matches. No other Grand Slam tournament has such a strict dress code for players.

During matches, female players are always referred to with the title "Miss" or "Mrs". (Formerly, married female players were referred to by their husband's names: for example, Chris Evert-Lloyd appeared on scoreboards as "Mrs. J. M. Lloyd" during her marriage to John M. Lloyd. However, this custom has been abandoned.) On the other hand, the title "Mr" is never used for male players. Previously, players bowed or curtsied to members of the Royal Family seated in the Royal Box upon entering or leaving Centre Court. In 2003, however, the President of the All England Club, HRH The Duke of Kent, decided to discontinue the tradition. Now, players are required to bow or curtsy only if the Queen or the Prince of Wales is present. For the spectators, strawberries and cream is the traditional snack at Wimbledon. Approximately 28,000 kilograms of strawberries and 7,000 litres of cream are sold each year during the Championships. Since 1992 Radio Wimbledon has broadcast commentary, speech and music from 7am to 10pm daily throughout the championship.

It can be heard within a four-mile radius on 87.7 FM and also online Trophies and prize money The Gentlemen's Singles champion receives a silver gilt cup 18.5 inches (about 47 cm) in height and 7.5 inches (about 19 cm) in diameter. The trophy has been awarded since 1887. It bears the inscription "The All England Lawn Tennis Club Single Handed Champion of the World." The Ladies' Singles champion receives a sterling silver salver commonly known as the "Venus Rosewater Dish," or simply the "Rosewater Dish." The salver, which is 18.75 inches (about 48 cm) in diameter, is decorated with figures from mythology. The winners of the Gentlemen's Doubles, Ladies' Doubles, and Mixed Doubles events receive silver cups. The runner-up in each event receives an inscribed silver plate. The trophies are usually presented by the President of the All England Club, HRH The Duke of Kent, and by his wife, HRH The Duchess of Kent. At Wimbledon, more prize money is awarded in the Gentlemen's events than in the Ladies' events.

This is justified by the rules that men must win 3 out of 5 sets to win a match, whereas women only need to win 2 out of 3. The French Open also offered higher prize money for men until 2006, when it joined the Australian Open and the U.S. Open in offering equal prize money. In 2005 Wimbledon prize money exceeded ï¿½10 million (the exact amount was ï¿½10,085,510) in total for the first time.

The sums awarded to the winners of each of the main events in 2005 are as follows (the amounts shown for the doubles events are per pair): 2005 Prize Money Summary: Gentlemen's Singles: ï¿½650,000 Ladies' Singles: ï¿½625,000 Gentlemen's Doubles: ï¿½218,500 Ladies' Doubles: ï¿½203,250 Mixed Doubles: ï¿½90,000 Wimbledon 2012: the greatest 25 moments - in pictures | Sport | The Guardian Wimbledon 2012: the greatest 25 moments - in pictures Wimbledon 2012: the greatest 25 moments - in pictures Share on Messenger Close As the All England Lawn Tennis Club prepares to host this year's championship, we look back at 25 of the most memorable moments at SW19 down the years Monday 11 June 2012 07.01 EDT First published on Monday 11 June 2012 07.01 EDT 1936: Fred Perry

 wins his third consecutive title Following triumphs in 1934 and 1935, Perry signed off in by clinching the Wimbledon title for the third time in a row, and, as was the custom, being allowed to keep the original trophy.

It was one of the most one-sided Wimbledon finals as Perry beat Baron Gottfried von Cramm 6-1, 6-1, 6-0 in a match that lasted only 45 minutes. Perry remains the last Briton to win the men’s championship. Photograph: Topical Press Agency/Getty Images Pinterest 1968: Rod Laver wins first Open era title Laver, who had turned professional after completing the grand slam in 1962, was finally able to compete in a major event again as a professional when the Open era began in 1968. He beat Tony Roche in straight sets in the final 6–3, 6–4, 6–2. Photograph: George Freston/Getty Images Pinterest 1969: Ann Jones upsets Billie Jean King King dominated tennis during the 1960s and having won three Wimbledon titles in a row was expected to breeze past the Briton. But Jones managed a thrilling third set comeback with her support on Centre Court unsettling the American. Jones triumphed 3-6 6-3 6-2 in her last grand slam singles event.

Photograph: Central Press/Getty Images Pinterest 1975: Arthur Ashe’s unexpected win Ashe was 32, a surprise finalist, and playing against Jimmy Connors, who was 10 years younger and the defending Wimbledon champion. No one anticipated that Ashe would outplay his brash opponent, forcing Connors outside his comfort zone with acute angles to win 6-1, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4. It was Ashe’s first Wimbledon title, his third slam, and, in a historic moment for the sport, he became the first black male to win the Wimbledon. Photograph: Focus On Sport/Getty Images Pinterest 1977: Virginia Wade wins ladies singles Wade triumphed in the centenary year of the competition in front of the Queen in her Silver Jubilee year. It was Wade’s 16th appearance at Wimbledon and her first singles final, courtesy of defeating, Chris Evert in the semi-finals. Wade beat Betty Stöve in three sets to claim the championship, nine days before her 32nd birthday with the crowd chorusing ‘For She’s a Jolly Good Fellow’ in celebration as she received the trophy from the Queen.

Photograph: Tony Duffy/Getty Images Pinterest 1980: Borg v McEnroe: the epic tie-break Borg was aiming to win a fifth successive Wimbledon title in the men’s singles final, McEnroe was in his first final at 21. The match was poised 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6–6 when the fourth set tie-break began. The epic 34-point tie-break took 22 minutes with Borg having match point five times but the set ended 18-16 in McEnroe’s favour. Borg, though, won the final set 8-6 to clinch the trophy Photograph: Getty Pinterest 1981: John McEnroe’s rant - ‘You can not be serious’ McEnroe’s infamous words were spat towards umpire Ted James in the American’s first-round match against Tom Gullikson after a serve was ruled out. He later called the umpire the “pits of the world” and having demanded the referee, Fred Hoyles, come to the court, then insulted him as well.

McEnroe was fined, not thrown out of SW19 to the horror of some, and went on to win the tournament, avenging his defeat by Bjorn Borg in the final the previous year. Photograph: Bob Thomas/Bob Thomas/Getty Images Pinterest 1985: Boris Becker is youngest champion Becker actually set three new marks when he became the then youngest ever Wimbledon champion at the age of 17, simultaneously becoming the the first German to win the tournament and the first unseeded player to clinch the trophy Photograph: Bob Thomas/Getty Images Pinterest 1987: Pat Cash climbs grandstand Little did Cash know that he would be starting a tradition when he became the first player to celebrate his Wimbledon victory with his family by emotionally climbing the grandstand after defeating Ivan Lendl 7-6, 6-2, 7-5 to win the championship. It was the Australian’s only grand slam title Photograph: Getty Images Pinterest 1988: Graf on way to golden slam Stefi Graf had already won the Australian Open and French Open going into Wimbledon. Her opponent in the final was Martina Navratilova.

Graf was trailing 7–5, 2–0 before coming through to win the final two sets 6–2, 6–1. She went on to defeat Gabriela Sabatini in the US Open to complete the golden slam Photograph: Bob Thomas/Getty Images Pinterest 1990: Martina Navratilova wins her ninth singles title At 33, Navratilova was the fourth oldest player in history to win Wimbledon when she passed won a record ninth singles title. Having lost the previous two finals to Steffi Graf, Navratilova described her emphatic 6-4, 6-1 victory over friend Zina Garrison, thus: ‘This tops it all, absolutely, because I’ve worked so hard and so long for it’. Photograph: Getty Images Pinterest 1991: The first People’s Sunday So badly was the 1991 tournament affected by the rain that for the first time, play was scheduled to take place on the middle Sunday, with low-cost tickets and unreserved seating on the show courts.

Photograph: Simon Bruty/Getty Images Pinterest 1992: Andre Agassi wins his first Grand Slam Agassi was not a fan of Wimbledon, having railed against the all-white dress code and missing three years as a result. He was also more assured on the courts at the French and US Opens. But his first slam success was to come on grass, defeating Goran Ivanisevic in five sets having beaten two former Wimbledon champions, Boris Becker and John McEnroe on his way to the final. Photograph: Bob Thomas/Getty Images Pinterest 1993: Jana Novotna’s tears Novotna, the No8 seed, lost the first set against the top-seeded Steffi Graf on a tie-break, thrashed her 6-1 in the second and went 4-1 up in the third. Then, the suspected mental fragility of the Czech player came into play. She disintegrated and Graf came back to win the final set 6-4.

But the most poignant moment came at the trophy ceremony where the Duchess of Kent did her best to console Novotna when she broke down and wept on the Duchess’s shoulder Photograph: Chris Cole/Getty Images Pinterest 1995: Henman says sorry after hitting a ball girl Henman was constantly being called on to show more aggression. Which meant his show of temper in a doubles match with Jeremy Bates which saw him hit a tennis ball in a fit of pique was all the more surprising. Unfortunately, it struck ballgirl Caroline Hall on the head. Henman apologised with by presenting her with bunch of flowers and a peck on the cheek. Things didn’t turn out so well for Henman and Bates, who were disqualified following the incident, the first ever disqualification in the Open era. Photograph: Gary M. Prior/Getty Images Pinterest 1996: Cliff Richard lifts the gloom during a rain break Some might say Sir Cliff’s sing-along finally spurred the All England Club into action to develop a roof for Centre Court roof that was unveiled 13 years later.

Others seemed to love it as the middle-aged pop star roped in the likes of Virginia Wade and Martina Navratilova as backing singers to keep those on Centre Court entertained. Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images Pinterest 2000: Venus wins the Williams’s sister first of nine titles Venus defeated her sibling, Serena, in the semi-finals at SW19 in 2000 before overpowering the defending champion Lindsay Davenport 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) to become the first black women’s champion at Wimbledon since Althea Gibson in 1958. Venus and Serena went on to win a total of nine Wimbledon singles titles in the next 11 years. Photograph: Popperfoto/Getty Images Pinterest 2001: Goran Ivanisevic finally wins Wimbledon Having taken advantage of the rain breaks to break the hearts of a nation and ruin Tim Henman’s best chance of a Wimbledon title by defeating the Brit in the semi-finals, the Croat at least managed to finish off the fairytale.

Just shy of 30, with a dodgy shoulder and a lowly ranking, Ivanisevic became the first wildcard entry to win Wimbledon after he beat Pat Rafter 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 2–6, 9–7, 9-7. ‘Winning Wimbledon is the most beautiful moment in my career. If I had lost that match, my fourth final, I would have had to move to the North Pole," he said. Photograph: Gary M. Prior/Getty Images Pinterest 2002: Pete Sampras’s last Wimbledon Sampras had won his seventh Wimbledon championship in 2000 but defeat by a rising Roger Federer in 2001 indicated a star heading towards the end of his career. However, nobody expected Sampras’s last Wimbledon appearance to consist of a shock loss by the 145th-ranked George Bastl in the second round.

Sampras, who read a letter from his wife on court in a vain attempt to inspire him, said after the 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4 defeat: ‘I’m not going to let my time end like this. I’m not going to give into the critics – I’ll stop on my terms.' He went on to win the US Open that year but he never returned to Wimbledon Photograph: Al Bello/Getty Images Pinterest 2008: ‘The greatest final’ Federer v Nadal Many finals are described shortly after they end as ‘the greatest’. These words, though, came from John McEnroe in the commentary box. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal had pushed each other to the brink. With rain breaks adding to the tension and drama, Nadal finally came out on top as darkness fell ending Federer’s tilt at a sixth successive title with a 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-7 (8-10), 9-7 win. The victory meant Nadal became the first player since Bjorn Borg to win the French Open and Wimbledon titles in the same year.

Photograph: Tom Jenkins for The Guardian Pinterest 2010: The longest match in history On court 18 on the second day of Wimbledon, John Isner stepped out to take on Nicolas Mahut in their first-round match. It became the longest match in tennis history, measured both by time and number of games. After two suspensions when darkness fell, on the third day, with the match resuming at 59-59 in the fifth set, Isner finally held his nerve to win 70-68, to end an 183-game match that broke all records. It lasted 11 hours and five minutes with the final score 6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 7-6, 70-68. Photograph: Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images

Question: Who was the defending champion when Virginia Wade won the Wimbledon singles?
Answer: Chris Evert